Living On Less- Part I

How can I possibly complain when this pile of dogs are here to brighten my day?

My dad is an ultra thrifty guy. He was raised that way. Growing up there were always debates going on within the house about such subjects of toilet paper usage, hot water consumption, lights being left on & related matter. Somehow some of his thrifty ways rubbed off on me & although I don't reuse Kleenex or wear my under things until they are see through, I do have many "make do, use it up, wear it out or do without" traits running through my blood. They have never served me more than they are serving me, now. With the hubs being in school, to say money is lean would be an understatement. Matthew & I pledged to live without consumer debt & by the grace of God, other than student loans are currently still on track with that goal. To me, the consumer mindedness of the American people has never been as evident as it is, now. I remember being a part of that movement, too. If I wanted new shoes, I bought them, if Matt & I wanted a nice dinner out, we went. New make up from the MAC counter? No problem. Expensive salon hair color coming right up! Living ultra lean has taught me several valuable lessons. 1. Living on less can be a fun challenge. 2. Living on less doesn't make you any less happy than having plenty. 3. God ALWAYS provides. 4. Living on less has been so beneficial, that Matthew & I hope to always lean a little more to the less side than more! There are some draw backs to living on less but I would say they really aren't that bad! Once I sold my two nice cars & realized I didn't need my hair professionally colored anymore, I quickly adjusted and you know what? It's actually kind of cool! When I do actually get a new pair of shoes, I am as exited as a child on Christmas morning! When a new kitchen gadget comes my way, you would think I had been given a diamond ring :-) There are some drawbacks to living on less, mainly necessity-wise. The porcelain implant crowns rapidly breaking down in my mouth need to be replaced. My stash of contacts is almost out & the cost of an eye exam plus new contacts is not cheap per say & there are a lot of natural health treatments & remedies I would like to try but you know what? God is faithful, He provides & I will not be without my needs being met even if that means them not being met in all the ways I think they should be :-) Please feel free to leave your 'living on less" tips in the comment section & stay tuned because there will be another post  about LIVING ON LESS.